Controversies of Off Shore Drilling

Obama's opening off off shore drilling sites in parts of Alaska, Virginia, and other sites in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic has sparked a negative reaction from many environmentalist groups such as Greenpeace:

But some environmentalists have made compelling arguments that maybe offshore drilling--while not necessarily the best answer-- is not as harmful as many assume. In his Washington Post article, Eric Smith argues that much of the resistance to offshore drilling arises from the fear of oil spills, but technology has improved vastly since the Santa Barbara spill of 1969 that galvanized opposition to this method of oil extraction, greatly reducing the risk of oil spills from offshore platforms. He contends that importing oil from foreign countries contributes more to pollution that causes global warming.

But there is no guarantee that the oil extracted off U.S. shores will not be exported elsewhere, adding to our carbon footprint, and the supplies this opening can provide will not meet U.S. oil demand. And, of course, one can argue that this is only a stop-gap measure that will slow investment in alternative energy sources that we really need.

I was surprised to learn that offshore drilling might not be the demon we always automatically assume it is, but despite its possible benefits compared to importing oil from foreign countries, I would like to see more progressive measures to fulfill America's energy needs and, more importantly (but also more difficult), to reduce our consumption of energy.

-Morgan